1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:03,320 We’re about two thirds of the way through this series now. 2 00:00:03,320 –> 00:00:04,540 I don’t know how you’re finding it, 3 00:00:04,540 –> 00:00:06,020 but let me tell you how I’m finding it. 4 00:00:06,020 –> 00:00:09,120 I am finding that God is using this part of the Bible 5 00:00:09,120 –> 00:00:12,560 to stretch me and to challenge me, 6 00:00:12,560 –> 00:00:16,959 and I expect that some of you are finding exactly the same. 7 00:00:16,959 –> 00:00:18,840 We’ve been looking at what it takes for people 8 00:00:18,840 –> 00:00:22,020 with a faith to become people with a mission. 9 00:00:22,020 –> 00:00:24,100 We look at what it means to love God 10 00:00:24,100 –> 00:00:26,080 with all your heart and with all your soul 11 00:00:26,080 –> 00:00:28,500 and out of all your strength. 12 00:00:28,680 –> 00:00:30,219 We look at what it means to really love 13 00:00:30,219 –> 00:00:33,320 your neighbor as yourself. 14 00:00:33,320 –> 00:00:36,419 What it means and how we can go about getting 15 00:00:36,419 –> 00:00:40,580 out of the clutches of pride and into a lifestyle of praise. 16 00:00:43,200 –> 00:00:45,139 Well, these are searching things and I’m sure 17 00:00:45,139 –> 00:00:46,680 that there are going to be more challenges 18 00:00:46,680 –> 00:00:48,119 ahead of us in this series, 19 00:00:48,119 –> 00:00:50,540 but I’ve got some good news for you today. 20 00:00:50,540 –> 00:00:53,299 Today is all about encouragement. 21 00:00:54,680 –> 00:00:56,480 So you can relax. 22 00:00:56,680 –> 00:00:57,860 You can enjoy. 23 00:00:57,860 –> 00:01:00,200 God wants to feed our souls, 24 00:01:01,259 –> 00:01:03,700 and this passage of scripture is all about 25 00:01:03,700 –> 00:01:07,040 the strengthening, the encouraging, 26 00:01:07,040 –> 00:01:09,820 and the nourishing of Christian believers. 27 00:01:09,820 –> 00:01:13,980 I want you today to savor what is yours in Jesus Christ. 28 00:01:15,360 –> 00:01:17,900 I want you to see and to enjoy perhaps 29 00:01:17,900 –> 00:01:22,239 with fresh perspective what Christ has done, 30 00:01:22,239 –> 00:01:25,879 what he is doing, and what he will do in your life 31 00:01:26,099 –> 00:01:29,739 and in the life of every other Christian. 32 00:01:29,739 –> 00:01:31,839 Now, I hope your Bible is open a Deuteronomy 33 00:01:31,839 –> 00:01:32,879 and chapter 16. 34 00:01:32,879 –> 00:01:35,360 Remember that the whole of this book 35 00:01:35,360 –> 00:01:38,019 records the teaching of Moses 36 00:01:38,019 –> 00:01:40,839 in the last weeks before he died, 37 00:01:40,839 –> 00:01:42,900 and so you have the feel of it by now. 38 00:01:42,900 –> 00:01:45,099 The old man is pouring out his heart 39 00:01:45,099 –> 00:01:47,519 to a younger generation. 40 00:01:47,519 –> 00:01:49,519 He’s saying everything that he can say 41 00:01:49,519 –> 00:01:53,199 under the direction of the Holy Spirit of God. 42 00:01:53,199 –> 00:01:55,500 Here are these people and they’re about to enter 43 00:01:55,500 –> 00:01:57,360 the promised land, 44 00:01:57,360 –> 00:01:58,820 and Moses is saying when you get there 45 00:01:58,820 –> 00:02:00,160 don’t forget the Lord 46 00:02:00,160 –> 00:02:02,339 and remember to teach your children 47 00:02:02,339 –> 00:02:04,800 and cancel debts and free your servants 48 00:02:04,800 –> 00:02:08,259 and all these things that we’ve been looking at. 49 00:02:08,259 –> 00:02:12,639 And then right plum in the middle of the book, 50 00:02:12,639 –> 00:02:14,940 here in chapter 16, 51 00:02:16,000 –> 00:02:19,119 Moses, as it were, pauses, 52 00:02:19,119 –> 00:02:19,940 and then he says, 53 00:02:19,940 –> 00:02:23,059 there’s something else I’ve got to say to you. 54 00:02:23,139 –> 00:02:27,940 When you into the land rejoice, 55 00:02:27,940 –> 00:02:29,979 enjoy, 56 00:02:29,979 –> 00:02:31,259 celebrate, 57 00:02:31,259 –> 00:02:33,380 in fact, that one word celebrate 58 00:02:33,380 –> 00:02:36,100 is the word that you could write as a banner 59 00:02:36,100 –> 00:02:39,779 over the whole of Deuteronomy and chapter 16. 60 00:02:39,779 –> 00:02:40,759 Do you see it there? 61 00:02:40,759 –> 00:02:43,660 Verse one, celebrate the Passover. 62 00:02:43,660 –> 00:02:46,839 Verse 10, celebrate the Feast of Weeks. 63 00:02:46,839 –> 00:02:50,740 Verse 13, celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 64 00:02:50,740 –> 00:02:54,059 Verse 11, rejoice before the Lord your God. 65 00:02:54,059 –> 00:02:57,119 Verse 14, be joyful at your feast. 66 00:02:57,119 –> 00:03:02,119 Verse 15, your joy will be complete. 67 00:03:02,639 –> 00:03:04,839 Now I read this chapter I think immediately 68 00:03:04,839 –> 00:03:08,240 of Romans chapter five and verse 11 in the New Testament 69 00:03:08,240 –> 00:03:11,240 when Paul says we rejoice in God 70 00:03:11,240 –> 00:03:13,479 because that’s what this is all about. 71 00:03:13,479 –> 00:03:16,000 This is the character of the Christian community. 72 00:03:16,000 –> 00:03:18,080 This is the mark of a Christian church. 73 00:03:18,080 –> 00:03:22,479 We are the people who rejoice in God 74 00:03:22,479 –> 00:03:24,679 and right back in the Old Testament 75 00:03:24,679 –> 00:03:28,860 Moses is telling God’s people how they are to do this, 76 00:03:28,860 –> 00:03:33,119 how they are to cultivate a spirit of joy 77 00:03:33,119 –> 00:03:35,580 that with all the pressures and all the difficulties 78 00:03:35,580 –> 00:03:38,559 of life that come wherever you are placed in this world 79 00:03:38,559 –> 00:03:42,160 that we should learn what it is to rejoice in God 80 00:03:42,160 –> 00:03:46,440 through our Lord Jesus Christ. 81 00:03:46,500 –> 00:03:50,080 Now I want you to notice that Moses tells them 82 00:03:50,080 –> 00:03:54,880 to observe specific occasions, 83 00:03:54,880 –> 00:03:59,559 particular events that have the single purpose 84 00:03:59,559 –> 00:04:02,759 of cultivating joy. 85 00:04:02,759 –> 00:04:04,880 And there are three festivals 86 00:04:04,880 –> 00:04:07,839 that are picked out by Moses here. 87 00:04:07,839 –> 00:04:09,940 There are many more that are in the Old Testament 88 00:04:09,940 –> 00:04:12,119 but these seem to be the top three. 89 00:04:12,119 –> 00:04:15,039 Moses attaches special importance to them 90 00:04:15,199 –> 00:04:16,440 and they were a big deal 91 00:04:16,440 –> 00:04:19,359 because they were held at one location. 92 00:04:19,359 –> 00:04:21,440 So wherever you were in the Nation of Israel, 93 00:04:21,440 –> 00:04:23,399 you had to come to one place 94 00:04:23,399 –> 00:04:26,760 in order to celebrate each of these festivals 95 00:04:26,760 –> 00:04:28,399 at different times of the year. 96 00:04:28,399 –> 00:04:30,679 So you see that in verse five for example, 97 00:04:30,679 –> 00:04:34,239 you must not sacrifice the Passover in any town. 98 00:04:34,239 –> 00:04:36,559 This is not some kind of a local deal. 99 00:04:36,559 –> 00:04:39,239 You’re to do it in the place that God will choose 100 00:04:39,239 –> 00:04:41,260 as a dwelling for his name. 101 00:04:41,260 –> 00:04:44,239 And you find the same thing being said in verse 11 102 00:04:44,239 –> 00:04:46,940 and the same thing being said in verse 15. 103 00:04:46,940 –> 00:04:51,799 The whole nation is to gather for a great celebration, 104 00:04:51,799 –> 00:04:54,399 and Moses says it’s to happen in these three ways 105 00:04:54,399 –> 00:04:58,019 at these three distinct times of the year. 106 00:04:58,019 –> 00:04:59,739 Now you say, where is this place 107 00:04:59,739 –> 00:05:02,160 that God would put his name 108 00:05:02,160 –> 00:05:04,600 that’s referred to three times in the chapter. 109 00:05:04,600 –> 00:05:09,040 Well, later King David identified that place as Jerusalem. 110 00:05:09,040 –> 00:05:10,380 That this was indeed the place 111 00:05:10,380 –> 00:05:12,799 where God had chosen to put his name, 112 00:05:12,920 –> 00:05:15,739 and so people would come from all Israel 113 00:05:15,739 –> 00:05:19,700 for these three different festivals, these great feasts 114 00:05:19,700 –> 00:05:23,420 where the nation gathered at three points in the year 115 00:05:23,420 –> 00:05:25,700 in the great city of Jerusalem, 116 00:05:25,700 –> 00:05:28,380 and of course, when you roll through to the New Testament, 117 00:05:28,380 –> 00:05:31,140 you’ll find that these feasts were important 118 00:05:31,140 –> 00:05:33,700 in the life of our Lord Jesus. 119 00:05:33,700 –> 00:05:36,179 For example, in Luke chapter two in verse 41, 120 00:05:36,179 –> 00:05:39,980 we’re told every year, every year, 121 00:05:40,839 –> 00:05:42,420 That’s Jesus’ parents. 122 00:05:42,420 –> 00:05:44,959 His parents went to Jerusalem 123 00:05:44,959 –> 00:05:48,399 for the feast of the Passover, they went every year. 124 00:05:48,399 –> 00:05:50,299 So this was part of the rhythm 125 00:05:50,299 –> 00:05:55,200 of the life of our Lord Jesus growing up as a boy every year. 126 00:05:55,200 –> 00:05:57,519 His parents went to Jerusalem for this feast 127 00:05:57,519 –> 00:06:00,399 that’s described in Deuteronomy 16. 128 00:06:00,399 –> 00:06:02,359 You may remember in John chapter seven, 129 00:06:02,359 –> 00:06:04,279 there’s a long section there 130 00:06:05,100 –> 00:06:06,799 where the brothers of Jesus say, 131 00:06:06,799 –> 00:06:09,640 now, you should go up to Jerusalem for the feast. 132 00:06:09,679 –> 00:06:12,200 We’re referring there to the Feast of Tabernacles. 133 00:06:12,200 –> 00:06:14,640 That’s the third one mentioned here. 134 00:06:14,640 –> 00:06:19,220 And Jesus says to them, no, my time has not yet come. 135 00:06:19,220 –> 00:06:20,480 So the brothers go up, 136 00:06:20,480 –> 00:06:23,119 and then later Jesus goes up not with them, 137 00:06:23,119 –> 00:06:26,220 but John says Jesus went privately, he went secretly. 138 00:06:27,040 –> 00:06:28,959 And then you remember, in John chapter seven, 139 00:06:28,959 –> 00:06:33,959 it says on the last and greatest day of the feast. 140 00:06:34,000 –> 00:06:35,380 That’s the Feast of Tabernacles, 141 00:06:35,380 –> 00:06:36,880 that’s right here in Deuteronomy. 142 00:06:36,880 –> 00:06:39,540 On the last day of that feast, Jesus stood up and he said, 143 00:06:39,540 –> 00:06:42,299 in a loud voice, if anyone is thirsty, 144 00:06:42,299 –> 00:06:43,739 let him come to me and drink. 145 00:06:43,739 –> 00:06:45,660 Can you imagine the drama of that? 146 00:06:45,660 –> 00:06:48,279 It was a great crowd in Jerusalem. 147 00:06:48,279 –> 00:06:53,279 And Jesus speaking these great and glorious words. 148 00:06:53,459 –> 00:06:56,339 Now, again, there are other feasts in the Old Testament, 149 00:06:56,339 –> 00:06:58,100 but Moses picks out these three 150 00:06:58,100 –> 00:07:00,559 that were tied to specific events 151 00:07:00,559 –> 00:07:04,059 that had special importance for the people of God. 152 00:07:04,059 –> 00:07:06,899 And he says, celebrate these feasts every year, 153 00:07:06,899 –> 00:07:08,619 it will strengthen your faith 154 00:07:08,660 –> 00:07:11,299 and it will increase your joy. 155 00:07:11,299 –> 00:07:13,420 And so let’s, before we get into this, 156 00:07:13,420 –> 00:07:16,140 just remember the importance of celebration. 157 00:07:16,980 –> 00:07:21,440 See, what you know can leave you unaffected, 158 00:07:22,440 –> 00:07:25,339 but what you celebrate will shape your life. 159 00:07:26,339 –> 00:07:29,459 What you know can leave you unaffected, 160 00:07:29,459 –> 00:07:34,179 but what you celebrate can shape your life. 161 00:07:35,140 –> 00:07:36,799 So folks, if you think about it, 162 00:07:36,799 –> 00:07:39,359 what we celebrate is very important 163 00:07:39,359 –> 00:07:42,019 and says a great deal about us. 164 00:07:42,019 –> 00:07:45,079 In fact, you can tell a great deal about a family 165 00:07:45,079 –> 00:07:48,119 by what they celebrate and by what they don’t celebrate. 166 00:07:49,059 –> 00:07:50,799 You can tell a great deal about a church 167 00:07:50,799 –> 00:07:53,220 by what it chooses to celebrate, 168 00:07:53,220 –> 00:07:55,480 tell a great deal about a nation 169 00:07:55,480 –> 00:07:59,040 by simply looking at what it celebrates. 170 00:08:01,519 –> 00:08:02,779 So I’ve just been making a list here. 171 00:08:03,640 –> 00:08:04,880 What do you celebrate? 172 00:08:05,799 –> 00:08:09,440 And in terms of personal celebrations, birthdays. 173 00:08:10,540 –> 00:08:13,559 Now, everyone is glad if someone sends you a birthday card, 174 00:08:13,559 –> 00:08:14,859 there’s someone else in the world 175 00:08:14,859 –> 00:08:18,239 who’s celebrating you, and it brings joy. 176 00:08:18,239 –> 00:08:20,200 We celebrate anniversaries 177 00:08:20,200 –> 00:08:21,920 because of the importance of marriage. 178 00:08:21,920 –> 00:08:23,679 Then there’s the hallmark celebrations 179 00:08:23,679 –> 00:08:25,420 as I like to call them, 180 00:08:25,420 –> 00:08:27,920 Valentine’s day, a celebration of love. 181 00:08:27,920 –> 00:08:29,480 That’s worth celebrating, isn’t it? 182 00:08:29,480 –> 00:08:33,200 The gift of love, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, 183 00:08:33,900 –> 00:08:36,580 national celebrations. 184 00:08:36,580 –> 00:08:39,099 No other nation in the world to my knowledge 185 00:08:39,099 –> 00:08:40,500 has Thanksgiving. 186 00:08:41,580 –> 00:08:43,320 What a marvelous celebration 187 00:08:43,320 –> 00:08:46,159 of God’s goodness in sustaining life. 188 00:08:46,159 –> 00:08:47,280 That’s a great thing, it says 189 00:08:47,280 –> 00:08:50,219 something wonderful about our nation. 190 00:08:50,219 –> 00:08:53,140 Think about our national celebrations. 191 00:08:53,140 –> 00:08:55,840 Independence day, 4th of July, 192 00:08:55,840 –> 00:08:59,219 you know the question I’ve been most asked in 14 years is 193 00:08:59,219 –> 00:09:03,119 do they have the 4th of July in Great Britain, 194 00:09:03,219 –> 00:09:04,840 people ask that question all the time? 195 00:09:04,840 –> 00:09:07,340 Let me tell you this, it always amuses me, 196 00:09:07,340 –> 00:09:09,979 in this marvelous country we set off fireworks 197 00:09:09,979 –> 00:09:12,119 to celebrate independence day, 198 00:09:12,119 –> 00:09:16,599 in Britain they set off fireworks on the 5th of November 199 00:09:16,599 –> 00:09:18,719 to celebrate what? 200 00:09:18,719 –> 00:09:22,760 A failed terrorist attempt sometime in medieval days 201 00:09:22,760 –> 00:09:25,719 in which a man by the name of Guy Fawkes 202 00:09:25,719 –> 00:09:28,640 attempted to blow up the houses of parliament. 203 00:09:28,640 –> 00:09:30,859 In America we celebrate independence, 204 00:09:30,880 –> 00:09:33,940 in Britain they celebrate the failure of terrorism 205 00:09:33,940 –> 00:09:36,460 so, I don’t know what that says 206 00:09:36,460 –> 00:09:38,280 but it says something about a nation 207 00:09:38,280 –> 00:09:40,020 when you look at what it celebrates. 208 00:09:40,020 –> 00:09:41,780 What does the church celebrate? 209 00:09:43,179 –> 00:09:46,020 Well the church has given these two distinct celebrations, 210 00:09:46,020 –> 00:09:48,599 we celebrate union with Christ 211 00:09:48,599 –> 00:09:53,599 and baptism celebrates that union sealed 212 00:09:54,840 –> 00:09:59,059 and the Lord’s Supper celebrates that union sustained. 213 00:09:59,280 –> 00:10:04,039 Then of course there are the great Christian celebrations 214 00:10:04,039 –> 00:10:06,859 in the broader culture, Christmas, 215 00:10:06,859 –> 00:10:09,460 the incarnation of the son of God, 216 00:10:09,460 –> 00:10:14,419 Easter, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, 217 00:10:14,419 –> 00:10:17,359 our savior and our Lord. 218 00:10:18,640 –> 00:10:20,820 The festival that seems to me to be growing 219 00:10:20,820 –> 00:10:23,640 more than any other these days in our culture 220 00:10:23,640 –> 00:10:25,719 is the one that confuses me, 221 00:10:26,619 –> 00:10:27,500 Halloween. 222 00:10:28,440 –> 00:10:29,260 And I’ll tell you this, 223 00:10:29,260 –> 00:10:32,719 it confuses me because I cannot work out 224 00:10:32,719 –> 00:10:37,080 exactly what is being celebrated. 225 00:10:37,080 –> 00:10:37,919 Can you? 226 00:10:39,719 –> 00:10:41,119 I’ve got better things to do 227 00:10:41,119 –> 00:10:43,140 than mount a campaign against Halloween, 228 00:10:43,140 –> 00:10:45,219 so I’ll resist that temptation. 229 00:10:45,219 –> 00:10:46,940 And just so you know, our kids, 230 00:10:46,940 –> 00:10:48,880 when they were growing up could never resist 231 00:10:48,880 –> 00:10:51,719 the opportunity of gathering a bag of candy 232 00:10:51,719 –> 00:10:54,659 and we enjoyed that with them. 233 00:10:54,659 –> 00:10:56,460 So if you wanna make a big deal of Halloween, 234 00:10:56,460 –> 00:10:59,340 I am not going to criticize you for that. 235 00:10:59,340 –> 00:11:03,559 But seriously, what is exactly 236 00:11:03,559 –> 00:11:07,400 the great truth being celebrated? 237 00:11:07,400 –> 00:11:09,219 What is the great event? 238 00:11:09,219 –> 00:11:15,500 What is the great doctrine that is at the core of this? 239 00:11:15,500 –> 00:11:17,119 I’ve read the history, 240 00:11:17,119 –> 00:11:19,000 you don’t need to send me an email on that. 241 00:11:19,000 –> 00:11:22,340 It’s not especially edifying. 242 00:11:23,340 –> 00:11:26,960 But the idea of celebrating darkness and fear 243 00:11:26,960 –> 00:11:30,799 leaves me completely cold. 244 00:11:30,799 –> 00:11:38,020 Celebrations matter because they identify what we value. 245 00:11:38,020 –> 00:11:40,640 And that’s why Deuteronomy chapter 16 246 00:11:40,640 –> 00:11:43,260 is so important in the Old Testament, 247 00:11:43,260 –> 00:11:45,640 and that is why it is so important for us. 248 00:11:45,640 –> 00:11:47,880 Because it raises the question for the people of God, 249 00:11:47,880 –> 00:11:51,859 what is worth celebrating? 250 00:11:51,859 –> 00:11:54,099 What is there that’s so important, 251 00:11:54,099 –> 00:11:57,659 that you want to get it beyond the level of what you know, 252 00:11:57,659 –> 00:11:59,960 you want to get it worked into you, 253 00:11:59,960 –> 00:12:04,340 so it shapes your very life? 254 00:12:04,340 –> 00:12:07,919 And Moses has three answers to that question. 255 00:12:07,919 –> 00:12:15,559 Number one, celebrate the feast of Passover. 256 00:12:15,559 –> 00:12:19,859 Now, you can read the story of Passover in Exodus, 257 00:12:19,859 –> 00:12:21,919 in chapter 12. 258 00:12:21,919 –> 00:12:25,039 Many of you will know this story well, 259 00:12:25,039 –> 00:12:26,900 but to refresh our memories, God’s people 260 00:12:26,900 –> 00:12:29,080 were slaves in Egypt. 261 00:12:29,080 –> 00:12:33,159 It had been like that over 400 years. 262 00:12:33,159 –> 00:12:36,299 And they had been oppressed by a cruel tyrant 263 00:12:36,299 –> 00:12:38,919 who defied God and abused his people. 264 00:12:38,919 –> 00:12:42,200 And God said to the tyrant, let my people go. 265 00:12:42,280 –> 00:12:46,419 But the pharaoh cared nothing for the word of God, 266 00:12:47,280 –> 00:12:51,919 so God came down in judgment and in mercy. 267 00:12:53,119 –> 00:12:57,280 The judgment broke the power of Pharaoh, thank God. 268 00:12:57,280 –> 00:13:00,419 His mercy protected his own people. 269 00:13:01,679 –> 00:13:05,440 The Bible says that the wages of sin is death 270 00:13:05,440 –> 00:13:08,359 and death came on that night of the Passover 271 00:13:08,359 –> 00:13:10,500 to every home in Egypt. 272 00:13:10,539 –> 00:13:13,820 It was an awful night of God’s judgment 273 00:13:13,820 –> 00:13:17,840 as the final day of God’s judgment will be an awful day. 274 00:13:19,340 –> 00:13:21,739 But God said to his people, 275 00:13:21,739 –> 00:13:26,020 sacrifice a lamb and take the blood 276 00:13:26,020 –> 00:13:27,700 from the sacrificed animal 277 00:13:27,700 –> 00:13:30,940 and paint it over the lintels and the posts 278 00:13:30,940 –> 00:13:33,059 at the frame of your door. 279 00:13:33,059 –> 00:13:35,820 And then God said, Exodus 12, 13, 280 00:13:35,979 –> 00:13:40,320 when I see the blood, I will pass over you. 281 00:13:42,219 –> 00:13:45,239 Now you see, that’s where pass over comes from. 282 00:13:45,239 –> 00:13:47,419 From Exodus chapter 12 and verse 13. 283 00:13:47,419 –> 00:13:50,739 God says, when I see the blood of the sacrificed animal 284 00:13:50,739 –> 00:13:55,739 painted on your doorframes, I will pass over you. 285 00:13:57,000 –> 00:14:01,859 God saved his people from fearsome wrath in his judgment 286 00:14:01,859 –> 00:14:04,020 and brought them out of slavery 287 00:14:04,099 –> 00:14:07,219 and made a covenant with them through the blood 288 00:14:07,219 –> 00:14:09,479 of a sacrifice applied to them. 289 00:14:10,859 –> 00:14:14,280 And Moses says, celebrate this. 290 00:14:15,940 –> 00:14:17,919 Now I’ve been thinking, what would I have done? 291 00:14:17,919 –> 00:14:19,700 What would you have done, 292 00:14:19,700 –> 00:14:21,020 if you had been one of these people 293 00:14:21,020 –> 00:14:23,599 and Moses had said you got to sacrifice an animal 294 00:14:23,599 –> 00:14:27,539 and you got to paint the blood over your doorframes? 295 00:14:27,539 –> 00:14:30,700 Can you imagine being out there with the guy next door? 296 00:14:31,700 –> 00:14:34,599 And you’re saying, do we really need to do this? 297 00:14:34,599 –> 00:14:36,479 Are you going to do it? 298 00:14:37,500 –> 00:14:38,500 Can it work? 299 00:14:40,380 –> 00:14:42,099 Will it make any difference? 300 00:14:43,580 –> 00:14:46,580 Have you ever heard anything that sounds so strange? 301 00:14:48,739 –> 00:14:50,219 Would you have taken God at His word, 302 00:14:50,219 –> 00:14:51,820 would you have done what He said? 303 00:14:53,340 –> 00:14:55,859 Well, God said it and His people did it 304 00:14:55,859 –> 00:15:00,539 and through the blood of the sacrifice over them. 305 00:15:01,700 –> 00:15:03,780 They were saved from God’s judgment 306 00:15:03,780 –> 00:15:05,179 that came over the whole land 307 00:15:05,179 –> 00:15:07,880 and brought into a covenant in which God says to them, 308 00:15:07,880 –> 00:15:12,239 I will be your God and you will be my people. 309 00:15:12,239 –> 00:15:16,500 Now Moses says that is worth celebrating. 310 00:15:16,500 –> 00:15:18,659 And do you see how they celebrated the Passover? 311 00:15:18,659 –> 00:15:21,219 Verse 3, they ate the bread affliction, 312 00:15:21,219 –> 00:15:23,900 for seven days eat unleavened bread, 313 00:15:23,900 –> 00:15:25,179 the bread of affliction, 314 00:15:25,179 –> 00:15:26,640 so that you may remember the time 315 00:15:26,640 –> 00:15:28,580 of your departure from Egypt. 316 00:15:28,580 –> 00:15:30,020 So imagine this, 317 00:15:30,260 –> 00:15:32,500 if you’re living up somewhere in the north of Israel, 318 00:15:32,500 –> 00:15:34,940 as the Lord Jesus was in Nazareth 319 00:15:34,940 –> 00:15:37,020 and old family comes down on foot, 320 00:15:37,020 –> 00:15:40,099 all of these miles to Jerusalem, long, long journey, 321 00:15:40,099 –> 00:15:42,140 and you come for this great festival 322 00:15:42,140 –> 00:15:47,020 and what do you get to eat for seven days, dry crackers? 323 00:15:47,020 –> 00:15:48,880 You imagine the kids? 324 00:15:48,880 –> 00:15:51,260 We came all this way for this? 325 00:15:51,260 –> 00:15:53,179 Dry crackers. 326 00:15:54,900 –> 00:15:57,619 Centuries after the Exodus, 327 00:15:57,979 –> 00:16:01,239 all those events to Zion this time, 328 00:16:01,239 –> 00:16:04,659 the first huge protest was born in Jerusalem, 329 00:16:04,659 –> 00:16:06,979 celebrating God’s urgent call, 330 00:16:08,640 –> 00:16:12,299 God’s urge to confront andThank the Lord. 331 00:16:12,299 –> 00:16:15,380 This was at this particular place, 332 00:16:15,380 –> 00:16:18,340 and many Jewish temple in Jerusalem, 333 00:16:18,340 –> 00:16:21,299 and while G Throughout the year what happened 334 00:16:21,299 –> 00:16:23,299 was the Jewish people did not take it 335 00:16:23,299 –> 00:16:25,820 as seriously as God’s people 336 00:16:25,900 –> 00:16:28,580 and wouldn’t go with all of this. 337 00:16:31,299 –> 00:16:35,320 You remember when John the Baptist first saw Jesus, 338 00:16:35,320 –> 00:16:38,059 he said, behold, the Lamb of God 339 00:16:39,419 –> 00:16:41,260 who takes away the sin of the world. 340 00:16:41,260 –> 00:16:42,599 If you look at Jesus, he says, 341 00:16:42,599 –> 00:16:46,780 here’s the Lamb who will take away the sin of the world. 342 00:16:47,640 –> 00:16:49,539 And then you remember that the Lord Jesus 343 00:16:49,539 –> 00:16:53,340 was crucified at what time in the Jewish year? 344 00:16:53,340 –> 00:16:54,159 Passover. 345 00:16:54,979 –> 00:16:58,599 That’s why on the night he was betrayed, 346 00:16:58,599 –> 00:17:00,780 the night before he was crucified, 347 00:17:00,780 –> 00:17:04,359 he says in Luke chapter 12 and verse 15 to his disciples, 348 00:17:04,359 –> 00:17:07,040 I have eagerly desired to do what? 349 00:17:07,040 –> 00:17:09,459 To eat the Passover with you. 350 00:17:11,500 –> 00:17:14,660 And as he eats the Passover with them, 351 00:17:14,660 –> 00:17:18,119 this is straight out of Deuteronomy 16, 352 00:17:18,119 –> 00:17:18,959 what does he do? 353 00:17:18,959 –> 00:17:22,380 He takes bread, he takes the dry crackers 354 00:17:23,000 –> 00:17:24,400 and he breaks it, 355 00:17:25,640 –> 00:17:29,900 and he says this is my body and it is given for you. 356 00:17:31,479 –> 00:17:34,239 And then he takes a cup 357 00:17:34,239 –> 00:17:35,939 and then the same way after the supper, 358 00:17:35,939 –> 00:17:39,199 Luke says he took the cup and he said this cup 359 00:17:39,199 –> 00:17:41,479 is the new covenant in my blood 360 00:17:41,479 –> 00:17:43,599 which is poured out for you. 361 00:17:43,599 –> 00:17:45,359 Now you see what Jesus was saying 362 00:17:45,359 –> 00:17:48,520 in the Passover, right there, 363 00:17:48,520 –> 00:17:52,079 he’s saying this mighty intervention of God 364 00:17:52,140 –> 00:17:55,079 in the Exodus, the greatest thing that has ever happened 365 00:17:55,079 –> 00:17:56,920 in all of Israel’s history. 366 00:17:57,800 –> 00:18:00,640 This mighty intervention that we are celebrating 367 00:18:00,640 –> 00:18:03,920 in the Passover tonight is only a shadow, 368 00:18:03,920 –> 00:18:07,739 he says to his disciples of what God is right about to do. 369 00:18:09,000 –> 00:18:11,959 Because God is going to make an even greater intervention 370 00:18:11,959 –> 00:18:13,839 and here is how he is going to do it. 371 00:18:13,839 –> 00:18:18,000 My blood will be poured out, my body will be broken, 372 00:18:18,000 –> 00:18:19,920 I will become the sacrifice 373 00:18:19,920 –> 00:18:23,660 by which you will be redeemed from divine wrath. 374 00:18:23,660 –> 00:18:25,640 I will become the sacrifice 375 00:18:25,640 –> 00:18:29,739 by which you will be set free from sin’s power. 376 00:18:31,079 –> 00:18:33,819 And so when we celebrate the Lord’s supper, 377 00:18:33,819 –> 00:18:35,359 we don’t roast a lamb 378 00:18:36,380 –> 00:18:39,300 because the sacrifice has been made. 379 00:18:40,640 –> 00:18:43,079 But we take the bread and then we take the cup 380 00:18:44,239 –> 00:18:46,680 and we remember that Christ’s blood was shed 381 00:18:46,680 –> 00:18:49,719 and that by faith, when the blood of Christ 382 00:18:49,719 –> 00:18:51,780 is applied to your life, 383 00:18:53,199 –> 00:18:57,300 you are saved from the wrath of God. 384 00:18:58,199 –> 00:19:00,219 You are brought out of the position 385 00:19:00,219 –> 00:19:03,839 you used to be in as a slave to sin. 386 00:19:03,839 –> 00:19:06,459 You are brought into a covenant with God 387 00:19:06,459 –> 00:19:11,459 in which he says, I am yours and you are mine. 388 00:19:14,339 –> 00:19:16,839 That is something worth celebrating. 389 00:19:16,839 –> 00:19:19,459 And folks, this is not a process, 390 00:19:19,459 –> 00:19:22,000 it is what has been accomplished. 391 00:19:22,000 –> 00:19:24,199 God gives you this feast 392 00:19:24,199 –> 00:19:26,660 so that you won’t spend the rest of your life 393 00:19:26,660 –> 00:19:28,219 wondering if he loves you. 394 00:19:30,000 –> 00:19:31,400 God gives you this feast 395 00:19:31,400 –> 00:19:34,739 so that you will see that he loves you 396 00:19:34,739 –> 00:19:37,920 as faith approaches the cross. 397 00:19:38,880 –> 00:19:39,800 It’s what faith does, 398 00:19:39,800 –> 00:19:43,319 it sees the love of God in the cross. 399 00:19:43,319 –> 00:19:44,160 That’s faith. 400 00:19:45,160 –> 00:19:47,060 And God gives you this feast 401 00:19:47,060 –> 00:19:49,060 so that you will not spend the rest of your life 402 00:19:49,060 –> 00:19:51,000 wondering if you will be forgiven. 403 00:19:51,959 –> 00:19:53,560 You are forgiven in the cross, 404 00:19:53,560 –> 00:19:55,339 and faith sees that. 405 00:19:56,599 –> 00:19:58,319 God gives you this feast 406 00:19:58,319 –> 00:20:00,319 so that you will not spend the rest of your life 407 00:20:00,319 –> 00:20:02,280 living as if you were still a slave. 408 00:20:02,280 –> 00:20:04,640 You see, this is the whole point of the Passover, 409 00:20:04,640 –> 00:20:07,239 God’s people saw that he had put them 410 00:20:07,239 –> 00:20:09,260 in an entirely new position, 411 00:20:09,260 –> 00:20:11,760 and no matter what their difficulties in life, 412 00:20:11,760 –> 00:20:13,160 they were not slaves. 413 00:20:13,219 –> 00:20:14,920 That’s what God wants you to see. 414 00:20:16,680 –> 00:20:19,959 This is what God speaks from the cross. 415 00:20:19,959 –> 00:20:21,880 You may face all kinds of problems, 416 00:20:21,880 –> 00:20:23,160 you may have all kinds of battles, 417 00:20:23,160 –> 00:20:24,939 you may experience many defeats, 418 00:20:24,939 –> 00:20:26,380 but you are not a slave. 419 00:20:26,380 –> 00:20:27,339 You are redeemed. 420 00:20:27,339 –> 00:20:30,819 You are set free by the blood of Jesus Christ. 421 00:20:30,819 –> 00:20:32,619 Sin will always be your enemy, 422 00:20:32,619 –> 00:20:35,439 but it is no longer your Master. 423 00:20:35,439 –> 00:20:38,439 Christ redeemed us. 424 00:20:38,500 –> 00:20:42,079 And that is something worth celebrating, isn’t it? 425 00:20:42,079 –> 00:20:42,920 It is. 426 00:20:44,880 –> 00:20:46,699 And here’s the second. 427 00:20:46,699 –> 00:20:47,540 Verse 9. 428 00:20:49,599 –> 00:20:52,439 Celebrate verse 10 rather, 429 00:20:52,439 –> 00:20:55,280 the feast of weeks. 430 00:20:57,280 –> 00:21:00,319 Now the timing of these festivals 431 00:21:00,319 –> 00:21:01,719 is a matter of some debate 432 00:21:01,719 –> 00:21:05,040 and in order to keep this to time, 433 00:21:05,040 –> 00:21:07,939 we’re not going to go there today, 434 00:21:07,939 –> 00:21:11,260 but let me simply make two observations. 435 00:21:11,260 –> 00:21:15,900 The feast of weeks is obviously connected with the harvest. 436 00:21:15,900 –> 00:21:16,959 See that in verse 9. 437 00:21:16,959 –> 00:21:19,420 Count off seven weeks from the time you begin 438 00:21:19,420 –> 00:21:22,280 to put the sickle to the standing grain. 439 00:21:22,280 –> 00:21:25,380 So it’s connected with harvest. 440 00:21:25,380 –> 00:21:28,420 If you check out Exodus chapter 23 and verse 16, 441 00:21:28,420 –> 00:21:31,319 it is actually called the feast of harvest. 442 00:21:31,319 –> 00:21:33,619 You have the same three feasts that are mentioned there, 443 00:21:33,619 –> 00:21:35,780 but by different names. 444 00:21:35,819 –> 00:21:38,479 And Moses says in Exodus that it is the feast 445 00:21:38,479 –> 00:21:41,780 of harvest with the first fruits of the crops, 446 00:21:41,780 –> 00:21:43,859 so the beginning of the sickle going in 447 00:21:43,859 –> 00:21:45,140 is obviously significant. 448 00:21:45,140 –> 00:21:46,619 The first fruits. 449 00:21:48,000 –> 00:21:50,660 So it’s tied to harvest and the second observation 450 00:21:50,660 –> 00:21:53,300 is it’s tied to the beginning of harvest 451 00:21:53,300 –> 00:21:54,979 and this becomes especially clear 452 00:21:54,979 –> 00:21:58,579 in Numbers chapter 28 and verse 26 where again 453 00:21:58,579 –> 00:22:01,939 it is associated with the first fruits. 454 00:22:01,939 –> 00:22:04,180 That is, the first samples of the harvest 455 00:22:04,619 –> 00:22:07,319 that the people brought as a gift before the Lord. 456 00:22:07,319 –> 00:22:11,319 Moses says in Numbers 28, on the day of first fruits, 457 00:22:12,939 –> 00:22:15,719 when you present to the Lord an offering of new grain 458 00:22:15,719 –> 00:22:17,479 during the feast of weeks. 459 00:22:17,479 –> 00:22:21,819 So the day of first fruits comes during the feast of weeks. 460 00:22:21,819 –> 00:22:24,520 So clearly this is a celebration 461 00:22:24,520 –> 00:22:26,579 that relates to the harvest and relates 462 00:22:26,579 –> 00:22:30,079 to the beginning of the harvest. 463 00:22:31,079 –> 00:22:35,739 Now, where does the New Testament go with this? 464 00:22:35,739 –> 00:22:36,739 Two answers. 465 00:22:38,400 –> 00:22:41,540 Number one, it goes to the resurrection 466 00:22:41,540 –> 00:22:43,699 of our Lord, Jesus Christ. 467 00:22:46,199 –> 00:22:49,660 Because Jesus Christ, in the New Testament, 468 00:22:49,660 –> 00:22:51,739 is the first fruit. 469 00:22:51,739 –> 00:22:55,339 Do you remember this from 1 Corinthians in chapter 15? 470 00:22:55,339 –> 00:22:56,880 If you’re familiar with the Messiah, 471 00:22:56,880 –> 00:22:59,339 you can hardly hear verses from 1 Corinthians 15 472 00:22:59,560 –> 00:23:02,920 without hearing the music in your mind and in your heart. 473 00:23:02,920 –> 00:23:06,819 Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, 474 00:23:06,819 –> 00:23:11,819 the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 475 00:23:12,900 –> 00:23:16,420 Now the first fruit was a kind of a sample. 476 00:23:16,420 –> 00:23:19,219 It was a taste, it was a pledge 477 00:23:19,219 –> 00:23:21,579 of what was still to follow in the harvest, 478 00:23:21,579 –> 00:23:23,500 and Paul says in 1 Corinthians, 479 00:23:23,500 –> 00:23:25,579 Christ is the first fruit. 480 00:23:26,739 –> 00:23:27,920 So think about this, now, 481 00:23:27,920 –> 00:23:31,060 you see Jesus has been raised from the dead. 482 00:23:31,060 –> 00:23:32,079 Now, someone might say, 483 00:23:32,079 –> 00:23:34,380 well, that’s marvelous, but what has it got to do with me? 484 00:23:34,380 –> 00:23:35,780 Here’s Paul’s answer, 485 00:23:35,780 –> 00:23:40,520 he is the first fruit of those who have fallen asleep. 486 00:23:40,520 –> 00:23:43,660 In other words, he rose not only for himself, 487 00:23:43,660 –> 00:23:47,119 but he rose as the first of many. 488 00:23:47,119 –> 00:23:50,199 And just as the first basket of fruit 489 00:23:50,199 –> 00:23:52,599 that is picked from a tree 490 00:23:52,599 –> 00:23:56,020 gives you a sample of all that’s to come from the tree 491 00:23:56,060 –> 00:23:57,540 in the remainder of the time 492 00:23:57,540 –> 00:24:00,119 during which it will produce fruit, 493 00:24:00,119 –> 00:24:02,459 so the resurrection of Jesus Christ 494 00:24:02,459 –> 00:24:05,819 gives us a first glimpse of the day 495 00:24:05,819 –> 00:24:08,219 when all of God’s people will be changed, 496 00:24:08,219 –> 00:24:09,699 as Paul says in 1 Corinthians, 497 00:24:09,699 –> 00:24:13,420 in a moment and in the twinkling of an eye. 498 00:24:13,420 –> 00:24:16,939 The dead in Christ will be raised incorruptible 499 00:24:16,939 –> 00:24:19,680 and we will be changed. 500 00:24:19,680 –> 00:24:21,099 And do you remember, Paul continues. 501 00:24:21,099 –> 00:24:23,579 He says, as in Adam, all die, 502 00:24:23,579 –> 00:24:26,020 so in Christ, if you’re in Christ, 503 00:24:26,020 –> 00:24:29,339 we will all be made alive but each in his own turn, 504 00:24:29,339 –> 00:24:32,300 and he says it again, Christ is the firstfruits 505 00:24:32,300 –> 00:24:37,300 and then when he comes, those who belong to him. 506 00:24:38,140 –> 00:24:39,579 So it seems very clear to me 507 00:24:39,579 –> 00:24:42,060 that the festival of firstfruits 508 00:24:42,060 –> 00:24:43,520 or the festival of weeks, 509 00:24:43,520 –> 00:24:45,859 you can refer to it in either of these ways. 510 00:24:45,859 –> 00:24:50,859 In the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy 16 points us directly 511 00:24:51,099 –> 00:24:56,099 to our glorious hope in our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ 512 00:24:56,939 –> 00:25:00,160 where the apostles say now he is the first fruit. 513 00:25:00,160 –> 00:25:02,300 He is the guarantee of the resurrection 514 00:25:02,300 –> 00:25:03,540 that lies ahead for you. 515 00:25:05,859 –> 00:25:06,699 That’s the first answer. 516 00:25:06,699 –> 00:25:07,680 Here’s the second. 517 00:25:09,300 –> 00:25:12,359 The New Testament takes this theme of the firstfruits 518 00:25:12,359 –> 00:25:16,300 not only to the resurrection of Jesus Christ 519 00:25:16,300 –> 00:25:21,199 but also wonderfully to the gift of the Holy Spirit. 520 00:25:22,060 –> 00:25:25,339 And I’m thinking here of Romans 8 23 521 00:25:25,339 –> 00:25:28,359 where Paul says we ourselves 522 00:25:28,359 –> 00:25:33,380 who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, 523 00:25:33,400 –> 00:25:35,020 we have the firstfruit of the Spirit. 524 00:25:35,020 –> 00:25:37,300 That’s true of you if you’re a Christian. 525 00:25:37,300 –> 00:25:38,140 What happens? 526 00:25:38,140 –> 00:25:40,640 Well, we grow and eagerly as we await, 527 00:25:40,640 –> 00:25:43,280 inwardly as we await our adoption as sons, 528 00:25:43,280 –> 00:25:46,099 the redemption of our bodies. 529 00:25:47,060 –> 00:25:49,300 Now here’s a fascinating thing, 530 00:25:49,300 –> 00:25:51,099 by the time of the New Testament, 531 00:25:51,099 –> 00:25:55,660 the Feast of Weeks was known by another name. 532 00:25:58,020 –> 00:26:00,020 So you see what it says here, 533 00:26:00,020 –> 00:26:03,280 Count off seven weeks, verse nine, 534 00:26:03,280 –> 00:26:06,699 from the time you begin to put the sickle 535 00:26:06,699 –> 00:26:07,619 into the standing grain. 536 00:26:07,619 –> 00:26:10,079 How long is seven weeks and days it is? 537 00:26:11,140 –> 00:26:12,459 How long is seven weeks and days? 538 00:26:12,459 –> 00:26:15,459 49 days, just checking you’re still with me here. 539 00:26:16,300 –> 00:26:19,380 Okay, so the day that follows the 49 days 540 00:26:19,380 –> 00:26:23,920 that have to be counted off is the 50th day. 541 00:26:23,920 –> 00:26:26,239 And so do you understand why in Greek, 542 00:26:26,239 –> 00:26:30,560 the Feast of Weeks was referred to as, tell me, Pentecost. 543 00:26:32,099 –> 00:26:34,239 So Acts 2, verse one, 544 00:26:34,239 –> 00:26:36,819 so when the day of Pentecost came, 545 00:26:36,819 –> 00:26:39,199 they were all together in one place. 546 00:26:39,199 –>00:26:40,900 Why were they all together in one place? 547 00:26:40,900 –> 00:26:42,939 Why does Luke say in verse five, 548 00:26:43,020 –> 00:26:45,719 that in Jerusalem there were God-fearing Jews 549 00:26:45,719 –> 00:26:47,020 from every nation under heaven? 550 00:26:47,020 –> 00:26:48,660 Why did they come from every nation 551 00:26:48,660 –> 00:26:50,180 under heaven to Jerusalem then? 552 00:26:50,180 –> 00:26:52,500 Answer, they’d come for the feast of weeks, 553 00:26:53,680 –> 00:26:56,619 they’re putting Deuteronomy 16 into practice. 554 00:26:57,560 –> 00:27:00,280 And Luke tells us that it was on that day, 555 00:27:00,280 –> 00:27:02,619 right there in the Feast of Weeks, 556 00:27:02,619 –> 00:27:06,459 that the first fruits of the Spirit 557 00:27:06,459 –> 00:27:10,119 fell upon not just the apostles 558 00:27:10,119 –> 00:27:12,619 but upon all believers, 559 00:27:12,619 –> 00:27:17,280 and that this was the beginning of the harvest 560 00:27:17,280 –> 00:27:20,780 that would come from the death and the resurrection 561 00:27:20,780 –> 00:27:24,699 of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 562 00:27:24,699 –> 00:27:26,459 And so Paul takes this up in Romans 563 00:27:26,459 –> 00:27:28,140 and he says, well now you understand, 564 00:27:28,140 –> 00:27:31,300 the Holy Spirit is given to us as the firstfruits. 565 00:27:31,300 –> 00:27:33,339 Think of what that means. 566 00:27:33,339 –> 00:27:35,640 The Holy Spirit lives within you, 567 00:27:35,680 –> 00:27:39,880 giving you a taste, a sample, an experience 568 00:27:39,880 –> 00:27:43,160 of God now that is just an earnest, 569 00:27:43,160 –> 00:27:45,319 a beginning of what lies ahead of you 570 00:27:45,319 –> 00:27:46,800 as a Christian believer. 571 00:27:46,800 –> 00:27:49,619 You have a taste of the love of God 572 00:27:49,619 –> 00:27:52,339 that you will know in all its fullness in Heaven. 573 00:27:52,339 –> 00:27:55,040 You have a glimpse of the glory of Christ 574 00:27:55,040 –> 00:27:58,359 that you will see in all his beauty 575 00:27:58,359 –> 00:28:00,280 when you arrive in his presence. 576 00:28:00,280 –> 00:28:03,199 You have a beginning of the new life now 577 00:28:03,199 –> 00:28:05,439 that when you enter his glorious presence 578 00:28:05,439 –> 00:28:08,040 will be yours forever and forever. 579 00:28:08,040 –> 00:28:10,439 And that taste, that glimpse, that beginning, 580 00:28:10,439 –> 00:28:15,439 that pledge, that promise of what is still to come, 581 00:28:15,560 –> 00:28:18,000 Paul says it’s ours by the Spirit 582 00:28:18,000 –> 00:28:19,599 and so changing the picture a little 583 00:28:19,599 –> 00:28:23,760 he says the Spirit is given to us as a deposit 584 00:28:23,760 –> 00:28:25,640 guaranteeing what is to come. 585 00:28:25,640 –> 00:28:27,699 You have a taste already. 586 00:28:27,699 –> 00:28:29,599 Just a taste, just a sample, 587 00:28:29,599 –> 00:28:32,060 just like the first basket of fruit 588 00:28:32,060 –> 00:28:34,760 but there’s a whole tree that’s still to issue fruit. 589 00:28:35,780 –> 00:28:37,900 Just like the first sample of grain 590 00:28:37,900 –> 00:28:40,619 and there’s a vast field still to be harvest 591 00:28:40,619 –> 00:28:43,500 but you’ve got a taste already. 592 00:28:43,500 –> 00:28:46,000 The love of God, the grace of Christ. 593 00:28:47,079 –> 00:28:51,900 Presence of the Spirit, the first fruits 594 00:28:51,900 –> 00:28:54,699 and when we taste the first fruit 595 00:28:54,699 –> 00:28:58,579 oh we long, Paul says, for the fullness 596 00:28:58,579 –> 00:29:01,579 that is yet to come. 597 00:29:02,540 –> 00:29:06,900 So the feast of Passover 598 00:29:06,900 –> 00:29:11,900 points us to the redeeming work of Jesus Christ 599 00:29:12,540 –> 00:29:14,959 in his death on the cross. 600 00:29:16,719 –> 00:29:19,260 The feast of weeks or the feast of first fruits 601 00:29:19,260 –> 00:29:20,979 whichever way you want to refer to it 602 00:29:20,979 –> 00:29:23,439 points us to the resurrection of Christ 603 00:29:23,439 –> 00:29:26,599 and to the gift of the Holy Spirit. 604 00:29:26,599 –> 00:29:29,140 To Jesus great promise that ties these two together 605 00:29:29,140 –> 00:29:32,439 he says, I will not leave you as orphans. 606 00:29:32,439 –> 00:29:34,439 I will come to you. 607 00:29:34,439 –> 00:29:35,339 I will come to you. 608 00:29:36,500 –> 00:29:39,800 So Christ redeems us that’s something worth celebrating. 609 00:29:41,859 –> 00:29:44,640 Christ is with us, our risen savior 610 00:29:44,640 –> 00:29:47,060 present by the Spirit today in your life. 611 00:29:47,060 –> 00:29:49,300 That is something worth celebrating. 612 00:29:51,380 –> 00:29:53,020 Here’s the last one more briefly. 613 00:29:54,020 –> 00:29:59,020 Verse 13 celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 614 00:29:59,819 –> 00:30:02,319 This one also was known by another name 615 00:30:02,319 –> 00:30:06,180 sometimes referred to as the Feast of Booths. 616 00:30:06,180 –> 00:30:07,099 The Feast of Booths. 617 00:30:07,099 –> 00:30:10,359 Now, of all these three festivals, 618 00:30:10,359 –> 00:30:11,819 this one has got to be the one 619 00:30:11,819 –> 00:30:13,859 that was the greatest fun for the kids. 620 00:30:13,859 –> 00:30:15,079 Kids got to love this one 621 00:30:16,260 –> 00:30:18,020 because you find out more detail 622 00:30:18,020 –> 00:30:21,359 about what actually happened in Leviticus chapter 23, 623 00:30:21,420 –> 00:30:22,479 where we read these words, 624 00:30:22,479 –> 00:30:26,359 live in booths for seven days. 625 00:30:26,359 –> 00:30:28,400 You imagine that with the kids. 626 00:30:28,400 –> 00:30:30,359 What they did was they actually built 627 00:30:30,359 –> 00:30:33,599 out of branches from trees and leaves, 628 00:30:33,599 –> 00:30:34,939 they built a kind of shelter, 629 00:30:34,939 –> 00:30:36,859 a sort of tent. 630 00:30:36,859 –> 00:30:39,619 This is camp out folks, that’s what it is. 631 00:30:39,619 –> 00:30:41,420 It’s a week’s camp out 632 00:30:41,420 –> 00:30:44,239 and family is coming from all over the nation. 633 00:30:44,239 –> 00:30:47,359 Can you imagine the excitement of the kids on this one? 634 00:30:47,359 –> 00:30:49,619 Hey, dad, when’s the feast of booths? 635 00:30:49,619 –> 00:30:51,040 When are we going to make our camp out? 636 00:30:51,040 –> 00:30:52,959 You know, got to make a better hut 637 00:30:52,959 –> 00:30:54,099 than the neighbors this year 638 00:30:54,099 –> 00:30:57,119 cause theirs was really cool last time, you see. 639 00:30:57,119 –> 00:30:59,239 So here the nation comes to Jerusalem 640 00:30:59,239 –> 00:31:02,280 and they’re all building these temporary shelters. 641 00:31:03,680 –> 00:31:06,719 Now you say, well why in the world did they do this? 642 00:31:06,719 –> 00:31:09,920 The idea of the festival was very simple 643 00:31:09,920 –> 00:31:13,459 to remind God’s people that when they came out of Egypt, 644 00:31:13,459 –> 00:31:15,619 they did not live in houses 645 00:31:15,619 –> 00:31:17,199 as those in the promised land 646 00:31:17,219 –> 00:31:19,819 and subsequent generations were able to enjoy. 647 00:31:21,040 –> 00:31:23,939 But for 40 years in the desert, 648 00:31:23,939 –> 00:31:28,939 God says I had my people live in tents or booths. 649 00:31:29,359 –> 00:31:34,359 So live in booths for seven days. 650 00:31:37,140 –> 00:31:38,060 You say where in the world 651 00:31:38,060 –> 00:31:39,859 does the new Testament go with that? 652 00:31:42,020 –> 00:31:45,660 Second Corinthians chapter five and verse one. 653 00:31:46,540 –> 00:31:48,160 Listen to this, Paul says, 654 00:31:48,160 –> 00:31:53,160 “‘We know that if this earthly tent we live in 655 00:31:54,020 –> 00:31:59,020 is destroyed, we have a building from God, 656 00:32:00,300 –> 00:32:05,300 an eternal house not made with human hands.’” 657 00:32:05,780 –> 00:32:06,900 That’s where it goes. 658 00:32:08,420 –> 00:32:10,439 Oh, you were living in a lovely house, 659 00:32:10,439 –> 00:32:12,300 here you are in the promised land, 660 00:32:13,219 –> 00:32:15,540 but spend a week every year in a booth. 661 00:32:16,619 –> 00:32:19,319 To remind you that this world is not your home. 662 00:32:20,560 –> 00:32:21,760 You are passing through. 663 00:32:22,939 –> 00:32:25,439 And Paul says, “‘This earthly tent that I live in,’ 664 00:32:25,439 –> 00:32:30,339 this body that decays and ages and wears out 665 00:32:30,339 –> 00:32:33,040 in all kinds of ways over the years, 666 00:32:33,040 –> 00:32:35,160 one day it’s going to be destroyed, 667 00:32:36,160 –> 00:32:38,099 but that’s not going to be the end of me 668 00:32:39,099 –> 00:32:44,099 because God did not create me to live in this booth forever. 669 00:32:45,040 –> 00:32:48,319 But when this earthly tent is destroyed, 670 00:32:48,319 –> 00:32:53,319 we have a building from God not made with human hands.” 671 00:32:53,640 –> 00:32:55,680 You’re talking about the resurrection body. 672 00:32:57,020 –> 00:33:00,319 Folks during the summer I’ve benefited a great deal 673 00:33:00,319 –> 00:33:02,459 from reading John Bunyan. 674 00:33:02,459 –> 00:33:04,060 Most of you will know that name. 675 00:33:05,260 –> 00:33:08,839 He’s best known of course, for Pilgrim’s Progress, 676 00:33:08,839 –> 00:33:11,699 but he wrote many other wonderful, wonderful books 677 00:33:11,699 –> 00:33:13,319 that are much less well known. 678 00:33:14,599 –> 00:33:19,400 Bunyan spent 12 years in prison for preaching the Gospel, 679 00:33:19,400 –> 00:33:22,020 12 years, he only lived to the age of 60. 680 00:33:24,000 –> 00:33:27,819 When he was in court on one of these occasions, 681 00:33:27,819 –> 00:33:30,500 the judge made it clear to him, 682 00:33:30,500 –> 00:33:34,439 you can go if you promise not to preach. 683 00:33:35,660 –> 00:33:37,800 You know what Bunyan said? 684 00:33:37,800 –> 00:33:40,500 He looked straight at the judge and he said, 685 00:33:40,579 –> 00:33:44,160 sir, you and I are at a point. 686 00:33:44,160 –> 00:33:45,239 We’re at a point. 687 00:33:46,939 –> 00:33:51,640 Because if you release me today, I will preach tomorrow. 688 00:33:52,599 –> 00:33:54,060 Well, you know what happened? 689 00:33:55,099 –> 00:33:57,780 And he was a family man. 690 00:33:57,780 –> 00:33:58,880 So it’s good to remember that 691 00:33:58,880 –> 00:34:00,680 about great heroes from the past. 692 00:34:00,680 –> 00:34:04,699 He had a wife who he cherished and three children, 693 00:34:05,699 –> 00:34:09,060 two daughters and a son and one of the daughters 694 00:34:09,100 –> 00:34:11,520 who was closest to his heart was blind. 695 00:34:11,520 –> 00:34:14,699 He had a tenderness towards his blind daughter. 696 00:34:15,939 –> 00:34:16,979 And he’s taken to prison. 697 00:34:16,979 –> 00:34:18,300 Then he was released for a short time. 698 00:34:18,300 –> 00:34:20,459 Then he’s taken back because he won’t stop preaching. 699 00:34:20,459 –> 00:34:22,820 12 years of all out of the 60 years of his life, 700 00:34:22,820 –> 00:34:23,699 he’s in prison. 701 00:34:23,699 –> 00:34:28,419 He says in his biography, his own story, grace abounding. 702 00:34:28,419 –> 00:34:33,399 He says this, he says that saying goodbye to his family, 703 00:34:33,860 –> 00:34:38,260 he says, it was like pulling the flesh from my bones. 704 00:34:39,179 –> 00:34:43,120 When he’s released after 12 years, 705 00:34:44,080 –> 00:34:47,560 here’s a pastor who had all kinds of good things 706 00:34:47,560 –> 00:34:51,439 to say to his people about how to endure 707 00:34:51,439 –> 00:34:53,399 difficult circumstances. 708 00:34:53,399 –> 00:34:56,219 I’d like to listen to that pastor, wouldn’t you? 709 00:34:56,219 –> 00:34:57,959 I think he’d have something to say. 710 00:34:59,820 –> 00:35:02,260 Towards the end of his life, 711 00:35:02,260 –> 00:35:05,340 as he began to write down some of the lessons. 712 00:35:05,340 –> 00:35:07,060 He said this, and I discovered it 713 00:35:08,320 –> 00:35:13,000 in one of his lesser known writings this summer, 1685. 714 00:35:13,000 –> 00:35:13,840 He says, 715 00:35:16,080 –> 00:35:20,120 sometimes I look at myself and I say where am I now? 716 00:35:27,540 –> 00:35:30,000 And he says I give myself this answer. 717 00:35:30,000 –> 00:35:32,459 I say I’m in an evil world 718 00:35:32,459 –> 00:35:34,139 and I’m a long way from Heaven. 719 00:35:35,080 –> 00:35:37,939 Sometimes benighted, sometimes beguiled, 720 00:35:37,939 –> 00:35:40,219 sometimes fearing, sometimes hoping, 721 00:35:40,219 –> 00:35:43,439 sometimes breathing, sometimes dying, and the like. 722 00:35:44,820 –> 00:35:45,899 Then he continues, 723 00:35:45,899 –> 00:35:49,139 then I turn the tables, he says, 724 00:35:49,139 –> 00:35:52,719 and I say where shall I be soon? 725 00:35:54,340 –> 00:35:57,500 And when I can see where I will be soon 726 00:35:57,500 –> 00:36:00,300 after a few more times have passed over me 727 00:36:00,419 –> 00:36:04,739 and I can say to myself I see myself with Jesus, 728 00:36:04,739 –> 00:36:07,939 then he says this yields glory, 729 00:36:07,939 –> 00:36:10,899 even to my spirit now. 730 00:36:12,620 –> 00:36:16,820 Now, here’s Bunyan out of his heart-taking experience 731 00:36:16,820 –> 00:36:20,080 and he’s telling his people how do you endure 732 00:36:20,080 –> 00:36:22,919 the difficulties and the pressures of life in this world? 733 00:36:22,919 –> 00:36:24,219 How are you going to do it? 734 00:36:25,139 –> 00:36:27,040 And Bunyan says I just keep asking myself 735 00:36:27,040 –> 00:36:30,459 these two questions, where am I now, 736 00:36:32,300 –> 00:36:33,679 where will I be soon? 737 00:36:34,979 –> 00:36:37,800 Every time I ask myself where am I now, 738 00:36:37,800 –> 00:36:39,719 I’m reminded I’m in a booth, 739 00:36:41,060 –> 00:36:42,800 but soon I’ll be in a city, 740 00:36:44,120 –> 00:36:45,840 I live in this fallen world 741 00:36:45,840 –> 00:36:47,139 where people disappoint me 742 00:36:47,139 –> 00:36:49,459 and where so much is so wrong, 743 00:36:49,459 –> 00:36:51,020 but I will not be here forever, 744 00:36:51,020 –> 00:36:53,060 soon I will be with Jesus. 745 00:36:53,959 –> 00:36:57,699 And Bunyan says when my soul can grasp this, 746 00:36:59,399 –> 00:37:00,719 then I am strengthened, 747 00:37:00,719 –> 00:37:03,379 that is the point of the festival of booths, 748 00:37:05,040 –> 00:37:07,000 that I can grasp the difference 749 00:37:07,000 –> 00:37:09,379 between what I’m experiencing now 750 00:37:10,520 –> 00:37:13,260 is a pilgrim in this passing world 751 00:37:15,159 –> 00:37:19,919 and what lies ahead of me in the presence of Jesus. 752 00:37:20,760 –> 00:37:24,639 So the Feast of Tabernacles, the festival of booths 753 00:37:24,639 –> 00:37:28,439 reminds me that this world is not my home. 754 00:37:28,439 –> 00:37:31,080 It points to the second coming of Jesus 755 00:37:31,080 –> 00:37:32,439 and to the great inheritance 756 00:37:32,439 –> 00:37:33,800 that will be ours on that day 757 00:37:33,800 –> 00:37:36,479 when faith will be turned to sight, 758 00:37:36,479 –> 00:37:40,639 when this lowly body will be changed 759 00:37:40,639 –> 00:37:42,120 to be like his glorious body 760 00:37:42,120 –> 00:37:45,239 and we shall be forever with the Lord. 761 00:37:46,300 –> 00:37:47,959 In other words, it’s reminding us 762 00:37:47,959 –> 00:37:50,959 in the temporariness and the uncomfortable 763 00:37:50,959 –> 00:37:53,399 experience of life in this world 764 00:37:53,399 –> 00:37:55,580 that Christ will bring us home. 765 00:37:55,580 –> 00:37:57,879 And that is why Moses says beautifully 766 00:37:57,879 –> 00:38:00,080 in Deuteronomy 16 and verse 15, 767 00:38:00,080 –> 00:38:03,379 your joy will be complete. 768 00:38:04,840 –> 00:38:06,320 So folks, it’s done my soul good 769 00:38:06,320 –> 00:38:08,659 just to meditate on these three festivals 770 00:38:08,659 –> 00:38:10,860 and what they mean for us today. 771 00:38:11,919 –> 00:38:13,439 They point us to Jesus Christ 772 00:38:13,439 –> 00:38:14,959 and all that is ours in him, 773 00:38:14,959 –> 00:38:17,600 the Passover pointing us to the death of Christ, 774 00:38:17,600 –> 00:38:19,560 the Feast of Weeks, our firstfruits, 775 00:38:19,560 –> 00:38:22,100 to the resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit, 776 00:38:22,100 –> 00:38:24,719 the Feast of Booths, 777 00:38:24,719 –> 00:38:27,399 reminding us that we are pilgrims in this world 778 00:38:27,399 –> 00:38:29,820 and soon we are going home. 779 00:38:31,320 –> 00:38:33,639 There’s three things worth celebrating, right? 780 00:38:35,080 –> 00:38:37,120 Not just worth knowing 781 00:38:37,120 –> 00:38:39,020 because that can leave you uneffected, 782 00:38:40,179 –> 00:38:43,300 but worth celebrating because that will shape your life. 783 00:38:44,139 –> 00:38:48,520 Folks, I will never make it as a rapper 784 00:38:49,739 –> 00:38:52,320 and I don’t think most of you will either, 785 00:38:53,280 –> 00:38:54,739 but help me with this. 786 00:38:55,699 –> 00:38:58,659 I’ve reduced the message to just three lines 787 00:38:58,659 –> 00:39:00,860 and they’ve been pulsating in my mind 788 00:39:00,860 –> 00:39:03,020 for the last couple of days 789 00:39:03,020 –> 00:39:05,620 and I want them to pulsate in yours as well. 790 00:39:05,620 –> 00:39:10,300 Listen, Christ redeemed me, 791 00:39:11,159 –> 00:39:13,300 Christ is with me, Christ is with me, 792 00:39:13,300 –> 00:39:15,919 Christ will take me home, help me. 793 00:39:15,919 –> 00:39:19,159 Christ redeemed me, Christ is with me, 794 00:39:19,159 –> 00:39:21,120 Christ will take me home. 795 00:39:21,120 –> 00:39:23,979 Christ redeemed me, Christ is with me, 796 00:39:23,979 –> 00:39:25,580 Christ will take me home. 797 00:39:25,580 –> 00:39:28,479 Christ redeemed me, Christ is with me, 798 00:39:28,479 –> 00:39:30,840 Christ will take me home. 799 00:39:30,840 –> 00:39:32,280 That is worth an amen. 800 00:39:32,280 –> 00:39:36,000 That is worth celebrating, that is worth celebrating. 801 00:39:36,000 –> 00:39:38,840 Christ crucified, Christ risen, 802 00:39:38,840 –> 00:39:43,840 Christ coming again, that is worth celebrating. 803 00:39:44,699 –> 00:39:47,879 Father, teach us from your words 804 00:39:47,879 –> 00:39:52,879 to value what is of supreme importance in life. 805 00:39:53,620 –> 00:39:58,620 And not only to know it, but be shaped by it. 806 00:39:58,879 –> 00:40:01,040 For these things, we ask in the saviour’s name 807 00:40:01,040 –> 00:40:03,600 and everyone together said, amen.